So what prompted me to write fiction based on someone else’s fiction and set in someone else’s universe to no profit (in dollars) to myself whatsoever?

The first answer is that I can’t rightly say. And I really feel a bit silly about the whole thing, because I am a grownup and this feels suspiciously like kid stuff.

The second answer is that I was faced with the even more daunting task of writing drama based on history, which is to say, based on a collection of stories about what really happened, starring people who really lived. And furthermore, my mentor in theatrical writing told me that after five years I was still struggling with the notion of dramatic conflict.

The Harry Potter fandom is a quick course in the growth of literature, and it affords writers an opportunity to write for an audience who actually recognize the characters. (We truly envy Mr. Shakespeare.) It has been my curse, in my Real Life writing adventures, to be drawn to historical characters and situations that are obscure, at least to an American audience. (Anyone who recognizes the source for my pen name gets a gold star. In certain circles, she was as famous as Harry Potter, and in fact she is his Russian cousin, by way of the Dickens connection. But that’s a story for another day. We will be posting the cross-over fan fiction at some point, and we wager that it will remain alone of its kind for some time.)

Rowling’s work is wonderful in the way it balances goofy, manic humor against metaphysical horror, which is something that I consciously try to emulate in longer works. And I love the oddball magical technology, much of which has serious psychological resonance. Cases in point: time-turners and Polyjuice Potion.

The method to my madness

How canon are we? Well, I try not to ignore any events explicitly given in canon, for the most part, and if we don't know--we make it up. The inconsistencies and omissions in canon are marvelously fertile; they’re the dark spaces in between, in which other stories can grow. However, I will say for the record, in direct contradiction to Deathly Hallows: in my universe, a wand is just a wand. No do-si-do with who conquered whom. We already have enough trouble. And in case anyone is wondering, I am ignoring the epilogue.

I wrote a political timeline for everything that happens between May 1998 and the end of the following summer, and pretty much everything I have written here depends on that, though I do like to play with possible worlds. J.K.Rowling is a hard determinist, but I am not. The main story that has given birth to everything that you see here is called 'Amends, or Truth and Reconciliation.' It's the story of the year that follows the Battle of Hogwarts, from Hermione's point of view, and includes the wizarding War Crimes Trials of 1999. It's a rather large work for which I am writing the last of the footage even as you read this.

‘Amateurs borrow, professionals steal.’ (Variously attributed to Henry James and T.S. Eliot, and I don’t know where they stole it.) As a professional, I try to acknowledge where I stole the various really good bits; this is done in the author’s notes to individual stories. I try to keep track of this as I'm writing, and I will do my best to acknowledge inspiration from other fan-fiction writers as well as fan theorists. (One person's chronology quibble is another person's plot bunny.)

Amends, or Truth and Reconciliation (2009-11-26 began posting). I began posting this story with a backlog of some 150,000 words. This is the Great Mother of All Fics and the source of my main timeline. Most of the short pieces listed here belong to this timeline. While I began with great good hopes of biweekly posting, of late (2012) I have been quite spotty, due to RL day job constraints and original fiction career.

And just so you know what you're getting yourselves into, here's the full disclosure:

Story constraints: Multiple persons and tenses, dream sequences, non-monogamous happy ending, answers to a number of fanfiction tropes that drive me crazy, and the inevitably exponential ripple effect of karmic retribution. The original challenge I set myself was "Harry Potter in the style of Jeanette Winterson," but that's way too scary.

Main pairing is Hermione/Neville, although there are also side relationships with Draco, Tonks, Percy, and Ginny. Yes, that's Hermione and all of the above, and Neville and all of the above except for Percy. Neville/Percy is difficult for me to imagine. (But if someone writes a good one, I will read it.) Two OCs (an investment banker and a Healer).

Other works:

In Which the Princess Rescues the Dragon (2009-11-26 began posting). I will be posting regularly, either weekly or biweekly, most likely on the weekends. POV Andromeda at the Weasleys', lots of family drama, no particular warnings except that this takes place in the same political timeline as Amends, or Truth and Reconciliation, so there will be spoilers for that work since this tale moves at a somewhat brisker pace. Rather longer than I thought it would be, and turning into something of an epic. (2012) Not on hiatus, but coupled to the Amends timeline, so updates to this story have been lagging.

Storm Surge (written August 2009; now complete). Same timeline as Amends and In Which the Princess Rescues the Dragon. 14 chapters, probably the shortest of all of these works, so warnings for spoilers especially on Amends. POV Draco; main relationship(s): Draco/Neville/Hermione, and that's almost as much fun as it sounds. More sex and violence on-screen than any of the others, as well as a fair serving of whining and snark.

Four O'Clock in the Morning (first snippet written April 2009; updates posted intermittently). AU to the universe of Amends, Storm Surge and In Which the Princess Rescues the Dragon. POV Hermione, Draco, and female OC. Unlike the Amends universe, which is plotted within an inch of its life, this tale depends upon the whim of the muse. Main pairings are Hermione/Neville and OFC/OFC. There's a Draco/Hermione relationship but it's not a romance. Topics addressed include post-traumatic stress, border crossing, and the Squib Problem. Warning for cute babies (Teddy Lupin puts in an appearance and Draco gets a baby sister) and Malfoy/Black/Tonks family dysfunction.

Sunday 22 May 2011 update:

Posting schedule: More regular posting schedule will resume soon. RL day-job craziness has abated somewhat for the moment, though we are now proud momma to an original-fiction novel, which has siblings on the way.

Sunday 5 June 2011 update:

Thank you for everyone who asked after my health and whereabouts in the last months. None of the three WIPs are slated for abandonment, and you will be seeing updates on all three as the summer progresses. We are actually approaching the endgame for Amends and Princess, though after many inaccurate estimates, I don't venture to give an approximation of the number of chapters left. Thank you all for reading and reviewing with such regularity. Your comments have been invaluable.

Scholarly discussion: I have received PMs from a number of correspondents who report that they are discussing these fanfics in theses, dissertations, and/or scholarly articles. For those studying and citing these works, I would definitely be interested in reading yours in turn! Feel free to contact me by PM with your contact information and/or citation.

Friday 9 December 2011 - Update

Yes, I'm still alive. Since midsummer I have been absorbed in my original-fiction projects including the launching of a blog, writing 200K words of fiction, and participating in National Novel Writing Month. This December and January, I will be returning to work on my fan fiction work. Thanks to all who reviewed and expressed good wishes! I will do my level best not to disappoint.

Fanworks: Faithful reviewer bas-bleu has created the following playlists for the Amends universe. Each playlist follows the emotional arc of one of the major characters of Amends, or Truth and Reconcilation, through chapter 58. I'm listening to these as I draft the next chapters.

Hermione:

Neville:

Draco:

October 2012 - Update

Special thanks to all of the readers who have started following these stories since 2011, especially those who lost whole nights to Amends and Princess in the faith that it would be updated soon.This timeline is plotted out to the end. At this point the major delay is in drafting the chapters. Current estimate is 10-12 more chapters (and action-packed ones!) for Amends, and a comparable number for Princess.Four O'Clock in the Morning has maybe 3-4 chapters to go.

I am particularly grateful to my long-time readers, some of whom have followed me into my alternate life as a writer of original fiction. Your comments about craft and process in reviews, correspondence, and (in the case of TruantPony, SwallowB, and Bas-Bleu) your beta reading, have been invaluable to my development as a writer.

September 2013 - Update

A rather scarily long hiatus, which included way too much real-life drama (work, health, and moving). I'm currently drafting endgame on the two WIPs. Thanks to all the new readers and reviewers for the comments, messages, and follows!

March 2015 - Update

We are back on track with updates, with the hope of posting a chapter a week during April and May. Thank you all for your patience.

Fanfic-related nonfiction project

Once I have completed the works in progress, I will be working on a fanfic-related non-fiction project, From Fan-fiction to Original Fiction: A Guide to Craft. This is not about 'filing off the serial numbers' on fanfic (a la 'Shades of Grey') but about how to apply the lessons learned in working with fanfiction to the challenges of original fiction. I will continue to post short pieces here from time to time.

When the past and present collide with the Potter/Weasley children... A bit AU with characters' names and some pairings. Family tree now posted on my profile page. 3/16/10 -- going back and cleaning up a few things; nothing major will change.

Nine-year-old Ginny's life changes forever one spring day when she chooses to go for a walk. By the end of the day, Aurors declare her a Dark witch and she is sent to live with her grandmother, Cedrella Weasley nee Black.

"In the glow of the fires, her unkempt hair was a halo, her eyes were Baltic amber, and he was panicking." Born and raised in France, Draco Malfoy attends Beauxbatons and leads a privileged, well-ordered existence. He meets Hermione Granger for the first time at the Triwizard Tournament, and that's when things get... strange. But kind of wonderful, too.

On Halloween 1994, Harry learns his mind isn't his own. On Samhain morn, he vows to question everything. Armed with logic and an unlikely ally, Harry makes a last ditch bid to reclaim his life. The goal: survive at all costs. On Hiatus.

Postwar, tragedy causes Hermione to abandon the Wizarding world and forge a Muggle life. And when Neville walks into her life after seven years, she struggles with her perceptions of the world she abandoned.

"Mum, I'm an Auror. I helped arrest his father." "Draco is not a Death Eater." ...she could see that her mother knew that she wanted to say "Not yet." "Nymphadora, either I was going to take him in, or Bellatrix would."

AU. Yes, the old Snape retrieves Harry from the Dursleys formula. I just had to write one. Everything changes, because the best revenge is living well. T for Mentor Snape's occasional naughty language. Supportive Minerva. Over three million hits!

...or How The Word 'Snitch' Entered Muggle German. - In a women's hotel somewhere in Berlin, two Muggles stumble across traces of a long-lost aunt. What is the story behind Wilhelmina Plank's disappearance? And who is the mysterious kvidditch girl?

AU. Autumn 1981: A war orphan is reluctantly taken in by the dead mother’s fastidious sister over the objections of her bigoted husband, who fears for the safety of their toddler son with such a child in the house. Think you know this story? Think again.

Semi-sequel to Amanuensis's "Other Chambers, Darker Secrets." Snape never hurt Harry or Ron in this AU. Shows what happens to the trio's lives after their world has been trashed. Ron/Blaise, adoption fic, child abuse, AU, non-con, evil!dumbledore, HP&CoS

Clumsy war hero meets often drunk and constantly grumpy landlady. They're barely acquaintances and if it wasn't for a trick or two that destiny pulled them, that would problably never change. NevillexHannah.

Hermione is a sister to Harry, a mother to Rose and Hugo, a wife to Ron...and a Legilimens and Unspeakable. She is also very, very angry. A look at a Hermione who developed the instincts she evidenced with Marietta and Umbridge. AU, but canon-compliant.

Millicent preferred not being one of the more liked Slytherins, she would rather practice Quidditch anyways; even if it was in secret. Yet, while her late night exercises might not land her on the team, they could just land her the captain...

Peter Pettigrew's story of why he joined the Death Eaters, betraying his three best friends and the promises they made. Takes place in Robin's Unbroken Universe, though could be viewed as mostly canon compliant.

Wars are fought by heroes, to make a better world. Aren't they? But if war is the defining moment of your life, what happens to the rest of it? Some will struggle to live the peace their sacrifice deserves. A one shot about two people.

Eighteen months after the battle, Hermione is a volunteer in a soup kitchen, aiding those cast aside by Voldemort's defeat. So, what's HE doing standing in the queue for a handout? Can she put aside her her hatred and reach out to her oldest foe?

Two years after the war, Percy Weasley is back to working at the Ministry, which is trying to pick up the pieces. While on a trip to check in at Hogwarts, which is scheduled to reopen, he runs into Neville in an uncomfortable situation. Slash.

Andromeda would have much rather stayed at home and taken care of her grandson, but she can't: there is no one else left to claim the bodies. Regrettably, the dead are not the only ones taking refuge in Hogwarts.

Post DH. In the wake of victory, Harry struggles with life, love, and the reform of the British wizarding world. He learns that life is complex, and that happy endings are fleeting. Chapter 24- Dreams: The Unicorn in Kensington Gardens

It's been coming on for a while," said Percy ... "But I had to find a way out and it's not so easy at the Ministry, they're imprisoning traitors all the time." DH, ch30 . This is Percy’s journey to that point.

A post DH AU in three parts. We all craft our own happy endings. Even in the best of all possible worlds, romances decay and constellations fall from the sky, but Remus Lupin will pin them back up in a world that has already forgotten what he sacrificed.

It’s the beginning of the school year and Andromeda receives a letter from her daughter detailing exploding cauldrons, dashing Charlie Weasley, how excruciatingly painful seventh year classes can be and a little footnote about a small blond boy. REPOSTED!

Andromeda was born into a life of wealth and privilege. Ted was born in a two bedroom house in the East End of London. They've been at Hogwarts together for six years but barely know the other exists. WARNING: LAST CHAPTER CONTAINS DEATHLY HALLOWS SPOILER

‘Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day.’ Voldemort’s second rise to power and a part in Shakespeare’s infamous Scottish Play make this fitting for Hermione – especially when she discovers a darker side to Draco Malfoy. PreHBP

Halfblood Slytherin Millicent Bulstrode reflects on her time at Hogwarts, the years of wasted effort she put in trying to be accepted by the popular students of her House, and what she intends to do about it.

How much equality is possible in a relationship? How far can reciprocity go, particularly between people in different worlds? Bill Weasley and a Muggle during the second war. Slash, downbeat, philosophical.

Now AU sixth year.Hermione's quest for a quiet place to read leads to the discovery of a remarkable portrait. CHAPTER 18:The Order of Merlin. The living are celebrated, the dead remembered, and it is a new day for the wizarding world. Multifaceted Nominee

Post-DH, Hermione confronts the post-war world, including the wizarding War Crimes Trials of 1999, rogue Dementors, werewolf packs, and Ministry intrigue. All is not well, and this is nothing new. Rated M for later chapters.

Draco discovers that his Veela heritage has changed from a touch of the exotic to a kiss of death. Help arrives from an unexpected quarter. VR riff on two Dramione tropes: Veela Draco and Voldie Wins, with a tip of the hat to the Nuremburg Laws.

A grown-up's take on "Draco the sex god," with apologies to Spike Lee, J. K. Rowling, and anybody else against whom we may have offended. Crack-fic sex farce with real-world bite. See also the TruantPony version, on my Favorites.

Post-DH. The line between politics and family is razor-thin, especially when you’re a daughter of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. Following the Battle of Hogwarts, Andromeda Tonks receives a condolence note from a surprising source.

Sequel to ‘Behind Glass.’ The prospect of life in Azkaban wonderfully focuses the mind. Draco/Neville/Hermione Spoilers for ‘Amends’ and ‘In Which the Princess’ to end of 1998. Rated M for bad language, sex consensual , violence including torture.

The funeral scene in Half-Blood Prince, POV Neville. One year prior to the events of 'Amends,' and part of its timeline. A snippet from 'August is the Cruelest Month' in progress . Unrequited Neville/Hermione.

Another excerpt from ‘Amends, or Truth and Reconciliation.’ Post-DH. Harry’s eighteenth birthday party, POV Hermione, in the style of Robert Altman. Rated T for bad language and contemplation of violence .

Post-DH. On the eve of the Decommissioning of Malfoy Manor, Hermione remembers the end of her childhood. The bookstore scene from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, POV Hermione. An excerpt from the forthcoming 'Amends, or Truth and Reconciliation'